DIY Faux Rusted Urn Tutorial

Who doesn’t love a good rusted urn? I sure do.

After searching high and low for one that perfectly fit the space behind our sofa, I resorted to making my own.

I found this fluted urn that I purchased almost two years ago. Truth be told, I’d totally forgotten about it. Anyone else do that? I am SURE I am NOT alone. I purchased it thinking…Hmmm…I can do something with this. Shortly after that, I put it away in “that” pile of things destined to become.

After pulling it out, I searched Pinterest for inspiration and found these. I knew exactly how I wanted it to look…the perfect patina.

These are some seriously delicious urns, no? Well, most of them, especially the large ones are quite expensive anyhow and since you guys KNOW I am working on a rental budget…even if I could find one that was just right, it wouldn’t be in the budget unless I was able to “pick” one and that could take forever.

So…﻿

It was time to break out the brushes and paint and get to work on transforming this beauty…

Doesn’t it need some personality? Some character? Don’t mind if I do. This particular vase is made of cement but since we are using chalk paint for this project, you can use any container from metal to plastic and achieve a similar look.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:Metal, Stone, Plastic Urn or Vase

1 Medium Sized Chip Brush

1 Artists’ Brush

1 Foam Sanding Block

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White or Antique White

{Of course you can use another brand of chalk paint but this is my brand of choice. Using a lighter color will yield the best results)

Americana Brand Acrylic Paint in Terra Cotta

Unscented Baby Wipes or Damp Cloth

{I apologize for the not so awesome pics but these project was completed while I was waiting on a new SD card for my camera so some pics were snapped with my camera phone.}

First, be sure that your piece is free of dust and debris. After you’re in the clear, apply your first coat of chalk paint.

On this piece, I used two coats of paint, drying between each coat.

Next step is to apply your acrylic paint paying close attention to nooks and crannies.

Do not paint the whole piece with the acrylic and then go back to create aging. If you do, by the time you work your way around, the paint will be dry and you won’t love the results.

Be sure to only work on one concentrated section at a time as you can see above.

On each section, after applying the acrylic paint, rub lightly with your baby wipe or damp cloth.

If you choose to paint your piece in white or a variation of that color, you will see that the paint won’t only stay in the crevices but it will take on a rubbed look. This is okay…it will add character to the finished piece at the end.

Continue working the acrylic paint into crevices, rubbing, wiping, removing until you achieve your desired look. Don’t be afraid to use your fingers to work the paint in.

Once you have the look you love, use your sanding block {do not over sand} to add a bit more character in random spots around your urn.

The possibilities really are endless depending on how old you want yours to look.

I chose to only slightly age this one.

And this is the finished product.

What do you think?

I am in love.

You can see in the above pic where I used my fingers to smudge the paint a bit and spread the “rust”.